See the Cast of ‘Dazed and Confused’ Then and Now

‘Dazed and Confused’ was an edgy coming-of-age movie that made everyone who watched it want to throw caution to the wind, crank up some Aerosmith and party the night away. Directed by Richard Linklater, whose career runs a wide gamut from cult hits like ‘Waking Life’ and ‘Slacker’ to mainstream comedies like ‘School of Rock,’ ‘Dazed and Confused’ introduced us to a group of kids that lived on the edge. Sure, you know what Matthew McConaughey has been up to, but what about the rest? Here’s what the cast has been gettin’ into, man, since they definitely didn’t stay the same age.

Wiley Wiggins, Mitch Kramer

Gramercy Pictures/Flickr

Then: Wiley Wiggins was only 16 years old when he played the young Mitch Kramer in ‘Dazed and Confused.’ Seven years later he was a cast member in another Linklater project, the trippy animated film ‘Waking Life.’ All Mitch wanted was to not get brutally paddled after his baseball game. Wiggins was hitting the Hollywood scene as a talented up-and-coming actor.

Now: Wiggins, now 35, has appeared in a handful of movies since his days as Mitch. He played a seriously inebriated kid in ‘The Faculty’ and has appeared in several indie film projects. But his main focus as an adult has been writing and working as a designer in the video game industry. Wiggins has written for several magazines and currently is creative director for Karakasa Games.

Jason London, Randall “Pink” Floyd

Gramercy Pictures/Michel Boutefeu

Then: London took on the role of rebellious football star Randall “Pink” Floyd in ‘Dazed and Confused.’ (He’s not to be confused with his identical twin brother Jeremy London, of ‘Mallrats’ and getting “kidnapped” by drug dealers fame.) Having a twin brother who has also chosen to be an actor had to have made some auditions a little frustrating.

Now: Mr. London stayed the course and has enjoyed moderate success as an actor in both movies and television. He starred alongside his brother in an episode of ’7th Heaven’ and starred as the title role in the made for TV movie ‘Jason and the Argonauts.’ Recently he turned up on ‘Dallas’ and as a voice on ‘Lego Hero Factory.’

Parker Posey, Darla Marks

Gramercy Pictures/Jamie McCarthy, Getty Images

Then: ‘Dazed and Confused’ gave a young actress named Parker Posey her debut in a feature film as seriously vicious haze-crazed cheerleader Darla Marks. (“Air raid, freshmen!”) This role gave us an early glimpse of the natural confidence that Posey would come to bring in massive doses and also showed us her mean side.

Now: Posey went on to star in a huge number of independent films including ‘Party Girl,’ ‘Clockwatchers’ and ‘The House of Yes.’ Posey also earned a slot in the troupe of actors that work with Christopher Guest on his mockumentaries, scoring parts in ‘Best in Show,’ ‘Waiting for Guffman’ and others. She recently started showing up as a love interest of Louis C.K. on his show ‘Louie.’

Rory Cochrane, Ron Slater

Gramercy Pictures/Frazer Harrison, Getty Images

Then: Rory Cochrane’s portrayal of Slater in ‘Dazed and Confused’ taught a whole new generation of stoners how to properly use the farewell statement “check ya later.” He also played Lucas in another seminal ’90s coming-of-age movie, ‘Empire Records.’

Now: Cochrane has starred in a myriad of minor film roles and played Tim Speedle on ‘CSI: Miami.’ He has been seen on an episode of ’24′ and stars alongside ‘Dazed and Confused’ alumni Milla Jovovich in the independent film ‘Bringing Up Bobby,’ which premiered in Cannes and is set to premiere in the US at the end of September. He also has a role in the upcoming Ben Affleck political thriller ‘Argo.’

Anthony Rapp, Tony Olson

Gramercy Pictures/Jason Kempin, Getty Images

Then: Anthony Rapp made quite a splash in ‘Dazed and Confused’ playing the intellectual Tony Olson. You might remember he had a dream in which he was making love to a woman with a perfect body and the head of Abe Lincoln. For that line alone we will always love good ole’ Tony.

Now: Rapp has made a career by reprising his role as the brainy guy in movies like ‘A Beautiful Mind,’ ‘Road Trip’ and others. His most notable role is as budding filmmaker Mark in the Broadway musical and film version of ‘Rent.’

Joey Lauren Adams, Simone Kerr

Gramercy Pictures/Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images

Then: Adams landed the role of Simone Kerr in ‘Dazed and Confused’ and was definitely an early standout. The very same year she played a similar role in ‘Coneheads,’ and a few years later started dating director Kevin Smith and is credited as his inspiration for ’Chasing Amy,’ in which Adams plays the lead female role.

Now: Adams’ acting career never really took off the way it was expected to, and she, as well as some folks in Hollywood, think her unique voice is to blame. She has had minor roles throughout the years, mostly as girlfriends in comedies, such as her turn in Adam Sandler’s ‘Big Daddy.’ Her latest work you’ve possibly seen was a recurring spot on Showtime’s ‘United States of Tara.’

Marissa Ribisi, Cynthia Dunn

Gramercy Pictures/John Shearer, Getty Images for MOCA

Then: Giovanni’s twin sister Marissa Ribisi played the cute redhead that caught the attention of Matthew McConaughey’s character in ‘Dazed and Confused.’ He apparently loved redheads.

Now: Ribisi appeared in several films throughout the ’90s, including the romantic comedy ‘Some Girl’ which she cowrote. Today she’s an active Scientologist, and has two children with husband Beck, whom she married in 2006. She also owns the clothing line Whitley Kros.

Shawn Andrews, Kevin Pickford

Gramercy Pictures/Angela Weiss, Getty Images

Then: We all felt Pickford’s pain when his parents decided to put the fatal blow on his party by calling off their trip. In real life, Andrews briefly married Milla Jovovich who plays his girlfriend in ‘Dazed and Confused.’ She was only 16 at the time, and Jovovich’s mother quickly had the marriage annulled.

Now: Andrews has kept somewhat steady work on the indie scene, earning himself a Best Actor Award at the Brooklyn Film festival for his portrayal of Leo in the movie ‘Fix.’

Adam Goldberg, Mike Newhouse

Gramercy Pictures/Mike Coppola, Getty Images

Then: Adam Goldberg gave a performance in ‘Dazed and Confused’ that showed us his amazing ability to play an incredibly neurotic person. We were all proud of him when he jacked that meat-head in the face in the end … even if he did lose the fight!

Now: Adam went on to master the ways of playing neurotic, anxiety-ridden characters. He’s been in major feature films like ‘Saving Private Ryan’ and has starred on plenty of TV shows including HBO’s ‘Entourage.’

Sasha Jenson, Don Dawson

Gramercy Pictures/MySpace

Then: Sasha played Don Dawson — the bully football player with a soft (and slightly perverted) side. His character was feared by some of the younger kids, despite being clad in extremely lame overalls.

Now: Jenson scored another major role in the 1993 hit film, ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer.’ Throughout the rest of the nineties and 2000′s, Sasha played various minor roles in movies and has made guest appearances on TV shows such as ‘NYPD Blue’ and the action film ‘The Grind.’

Milla Jovovich, Michelle Burroughs

Gramercy Pictures/Pascal Le Segretain, Getty Images

Then: Milla appeared in ‘Dazed and Confused in a minor, but memorable capacity — she played the girlfriend of party-boy Kevin Pickford, whose parents abruptly ruined the party of the year. Despite barely being in the movie, she did land a spot on the promotional posters AND the cover of the VHS and DVD cases.

Now: Jovovich has made a name for herself as an action movie diva, starring in multiple installments of the ‘Resident Evil’ film franchise. She also continues to model and has even dabbled in music alongside Tool frontman Maynard Keenan’s side project Puscifer.

Ben Affleck, Fred O’Bannion

Gramercy Pictures/Christopher Polk, Getty Images

Then: Ben Affleck played the notorious paddle-hungry bully Fred O’Bannion. In his early days, playing a complete jerk was Affleck’s forte. Many of you will remember him as a seedy mall employee in the Kevin Smith film ‘Mallrats.’

Now: Along with McConaughey, Affleck has long since crossed the threshold into mega-star. He’s had some struggles with alcohol and gambling, but remains a major player in Hollywood. Lately he turned director, helming and starring in the critically-acclaimed 2010 crime drama ‘The Town’ and the upcoming drama ‘Argo.’

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